Month: February 2016

Mindfulness, it is a quality that is hardly seen in people today. We are all consumed by instant gratification, the so-called freedom as we are liberated to chase whatever our short attention spans dictate. We are influenced by the idea of “personal brands”; we are dominated by a desire to foster a certain type of “public image”. We become more concerned about what others think of us instead of just being who we are. We lost that ability to be happy for ourselves and to bring happiness to others. Mindfulness runs against all of that. It is a compassionate and empathetic act that comes through self-less giving. When we are mindful, we are not taking from others. We are making the world around us the subject matter. It is when we are able to see the world from another person’s eyes. It is when we try to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. We too often judge others quickly without truly understanding who they are and where they come from. We forget that everyone has …

As Arc Atlantic Regional Center’s Project Coordinator, I work on various aspects of their Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in Monterey Park development. My responsibilities are split between project coordination, marketing data analysis, and marketing. I took initiative to create the company’s online presence. In collaboration with Suen Labs, I re-developed Arc Atlantic Regional Center’s website which launched on Feb 26. I created both the Chinese and English content for the website and provided design directions for the appearance of the website. My other work in marketing includes creating various media items such as monthly newsletters and press releases and I coordinate with local media such as TV Stations and newspapers in creating advertisements. I also provide Chinese-English translations for our marketing materials as needed, such as adding Chinese subtitles in the introduction video for investors. In terms of project coordination, I help the Project Manager in contacting various utilities and contractors relevant to the construction and development of the project. For example, I reached out to Southern California Edison and AT&T for their underground cables and pipeline …

Recently, I have had several conversations with my friends back in Taiwan. A common thread of discussion is how hopeless they feel about social conditions getting better. Since the recent presidential election that resulted in the first female president in the country’s history, there have been a wave of euphoria. A large majority of the population, especially millennials, felt that the fall of the KMT was key to social change in Taiwan. Yet the problems that face Taiwan, especially those of my generation, are complex and difficult to untangle and dissect. One thing that we all agreed on is the fact that many people are unable to think for themselves. Many young people comment and criticize based on misinformation or a lack of independent thought. Part of the issue is how the media presents information and part of the issue is how people consume media in Taiwan. Though media consumption is not a unique problem to Taiwan, the culture of Taiwan tend to cause people to disregard and dismiss opposing opinions and voices. I feel …

During September 2015 to January 2016, I worked as a Marketing Coordinator/Analyst for the real-estate broker WLM Financial. Based in Inglewood, CA, the company focused on providing first-time home buyers with financial advice and loans needed to purchase their home. Using my knowledge of GIS and demographics, I identified the locations of their target markets. I proposed ten cities in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area that they can look to expand marketing operations into. On the broker side of business operations, I looked at home sales data, mortgage data, and property prices to locate other states that WLM Financial can look to apply for broker licenses. After getting to know their operations, targets and goals better, I created a marketing and a branding plan for the company. In terms of brand building, I used their current website and Facebook page as points of interest and set goals to be reached by July 2016 and July 2017. I created a social media schedule for them to post select content and to generate more reach and views to …

After being reminded of some personal philosophies earlier this morning, I want to take the time to explain it. I wrote this poem 7 years ago after a conversation at dinner with my buddies about relationships with people: A Conversation at Dinner An act in progress is the star within you. Simplified to four stages: Red dwarf Blue giant Supernova Black hole Bring out the light in those around you or engulf them with your own. What is it that you want – a harmony or an overwhelming shell. Self-confidence comes with the brightness you emit and cause others to emit. Centered on yourself you drain all around you as a black hole pulls in even light. Drowning in the ever amassing matter accumulated throughout years of darkness. None can save you but yourself. So you, I am talking to pick yourself up and act in the manner you believe to be best. I will expand on what I wrote in poetry form. If we imagine each of us as a star (which I believe …

As I write this, almost one-sixth of the year has already passed. This also means…as fast as time flies, my birthday is right around the corner. In the spirit of summer babies and half years, I have set out a list of goals I want to achieve by the time I turn 27. A man/woman without goals is not living but merely surviving. Since I moved to Los Angeles last summer, much of my time has been consumed by job hunting. I have been stressed out because of a lack of productivity, a lack of stability in terms of my visa, and a lack of direction. I stopped being who I was: cheerful, fun, adventurous, enterprising, passionate, curious, to name a few generic/unique traits… In order to rectify that, I am going to set some goals. I want to learn new skills and continue to become a better person. I know that every year I am gaining more experience. Every year, I have grown and become a better man. This year, I am writing this down and posting …

Machine Learning Data Analysis This is the last lesson of the fourth course of my Data Analysis and Interpretation Specialization by Wesleyan University through Coursera. If you have been following along with my work, you will know that I am interested in the relationship between urbanization and economic development and am posing the general question of whether urbanization drives economic growth? For this assignment, the goal is to run a k-Means Cluster Analysis using my variables: Urban Population, Urban Population Growth, GDP Growth, Population Growth, Employment Rate, and Energy Use per Capita in 2007. Here, GDP per Capita in 2007 is used as the validation variable. I am trying to identify if there are clusters of characteristics that associate with certain values of GDP per Capita based on national data from 2007. As before, the data is split into 70% training data and 30% test data. However, the k-means cluster analysis will only be run on the training data set. The Elbow Curve Graph shows that 2, 3, and 4 clusters could be interpreted, though it is …